Constellations 

קבוצות כוכבים

The Sages disagreed with regard to whether or not there is astrology for Israel. In other words, does the movement of the heavenly bodies influence the lives of Jews, their actions, and their fates, or is it only one’s deeds and merits that determine his fate?  

It is stated that Rabbi Hanina says: Astrology makes one wise<footnote data-num="157"/> and astrology makes one wealthy, and astrology does have influence on the Jewish people. Rabbi Yohanan said: There is no astrology for the Jewish people. And Rabbi Yohanan followed his own reasoning,<footnote data-num="158"/> as Rabbi Yohanan said: From where is it derived that there is no astrology for the Jewish people? As it is stated: “So said the Lord: Do not learn the way of the nations, and from the signs of the heavens do not be dismayed, for the nations are dismayed by them” (Jeremiah 10:2). The verse indicates that the other nations are dismayed by the signs of the heavens, but not the Jewish people.

Rav, too, maintains that there is no astrology for the Jewish people, as Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: From where is it derived that there is no astrology for the Jewish people? As it is stated with regard to God and Abraham: “He took him outside, and said: Look now toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you can count them; and He said to him: So shall be your descendants” (Genesis 15:5). Abraham said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, “Behold, to me You have not given descendants, and a member of my household<footnote data-num="159"/> is my heir” (Genesis 15:3). God said to him: No. “Rather, one who shall emerge from your loins, he shall be your heir” (Genesis 15:4).

Abraham said before God: Master of the Universe, I have looked into my astrological map, and according to it I am not fit to have a son. God responded: Set aside your astrology,<footnote data-num="160"/> as there is no astrology for Israel. What do you think? Is it because Jupiter [Tzedek] is situated in the west that you cannot have children? I will restore it and situate it in the east. That is the meaning of what is written with regard to Abraham: “Who awakens from the east, righteousness [tzedek]…attends his footstep [leraglo]” (Isaiah 41:2).<footnote data-num="161"/>

From what happened to Shmuel, one also concludes that there is no astrology for the Jewish people. As Shmuel and the gentile astrologer Ablet were sitting together, and they saw several people going to a lake, Ablet said to Shmuel [pointing to one of them]: That person will go and he will not return, because a snake will bite him and he will die. Shmuel said to him: If he is a Jew, he will go and return. As they were sitting there, that person went and returned. 

Ablet stood, took the person’s knapsack off of him, and found inside of it a snake cut in half. Shmuel said to the man: What did you do [to merit being saved from death]? The person said to him: Every day we give of our bread and eat together.<footnote data-num="162"/> Today, there was one of us who didn’t have bread to share and he was embarrassed because of this. I told the others: I will go and collect the bread. When I came to the man with no bread, I feigned as though I took from him so that he would not be embarrassed. Shmuel said to the man: You performed a mitzva. Shmuel later went out and taught: “Righteousness delivers from death” (Proverbs 10:2), meaning not only from an unusual death but even from death itself.

From what happened to Rabbi Akiva, too, one can conclude that there is no astrology for the Jewish people. As Rabbi Akiva had a daughter, and Chaldean astrologers told him that on the very day that she enters the wedding canopy, a snake will bite her and she will die. She was very concerned about this matter. On that day, she took an ornamental pin from her hair and stuck it into the wall for safekeeping, and it happened that it penetrated the eye of a snake. In the morning, when she removed the pin, the snake was pulled and came with it. 

Her father said to her: What did you do to merit being saved from the snake? She said to him: In the evening a poor person came and knocked on the door, while everyone was preoccupied with the wedding feast and there was no one to hear him knocking at the door. I got up, took the portion of food that you had given me at the feast, and gave it to him. Rabbi Akiva said to her: You performed a mitzva. Rabbi Akiva went out and taught: “Righteousness delivers from death” (Proverbs 10:2), meaning not only from an unusual death but even from death itself. 

“For these nations from whom you are taking possession heed soothsayers and sorcerers; but you, not so did the Lord your God give to you” (Deuteronomy 18:14). 

There was an incident involving Rabbi Yannai and Rabbi Yohanan, who were sitting at the Tiberias city gate. There were two astrologers there, who saw two Jews going out to work. Those two astrologers said: Those two men are going out to work, but they will not reach their destination; a snake will bite them. Rabbi Yannai and Rabbi Yohanan heard this. What did they do? They sat at the city gate to find out if those two people entered their destination city to perform their labor. They did enter, and Rabbi Yannai and Rabbi Yohanan saw them. 

Rabbi Yannai and Rabbi Yohanan said to the astrologers: Didn’t you say that these two people will go out but will not reach their destination, as a snake will bite them? The astrologers said to them: Yes. Rabbi Yannai and Rabbi Yohanan said to them: They went out in peace and reached their destination in peace. The astrologers looked at those two men. The astrologers said to them: Tell us, what did you do today? The men told them: We did not do anything special; we did what we are accustomed to doing: We recited Shema and we prayed. The astrologers said to them: You are Jews; the pronouncements of astrologers do not affect you, because you are Jews. The midrash concludes: That is the meaning of what is written: “But you, not so did the Lord your God give to you” [i.e., the Jewish people are not affected by the constellations].<footnote data-num="163"/> <source>(Shabbat 156a–b; Tanĥuma, Shofetim) </source>